AFTER 209 days at sea Briton John Beeden has become the first person to row solo and non-stop across the Pacific Ocean, from North America to Australia.

Summoning up the energy for one last oarstroke John Beeden finally made land, more than a month behind schedule. The 53-year-old said that after 209 days at sea he was most looking forward to a ginger-nut biscuit and a shower.

The Briton’s landfall might have been a little anti-climactic but should not overshadow his incredible feat of becoming the first person to row solo non-stop across the Pacific Ocean from the mainland of North America to Australia. On his 7,620-mile journey he was battered and blown backwards by storms.

At times he was forced to row hundreds of miles just to regain his original position and he came close to throwing in the towel. The man who climbed painfully ashore in Cairns, Queensland, on December 27, resembled a human skeleton.

“Only ever do it once in your life,” was John’s advice to anyone considering attempting to emulate his achievement. What is all the more remarkable is that the father of two from Sheffield has already rowed singlehandedly across the Atlantic.

On his latest adventure John set off with little fanfare in his 19ft boat called Socks II on June 1 from San Francisco. His aim was to cross the Pacific Ocean by the middle of November and spend Christmas with his wife Cheryl and two teenage daughters.

Only it didn’t work out that way. Conditions were worse than expected and he endured huge waves which knocked him from his rowing seat and swamped the small boat. Only frantic bailing out saved the day during the storms while at other times he rowed in scorching heat.

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John celebrating reaching Cairns, Australia

I did the Atlantic in 53 days three years ago so I went looking for something more difficult to push me to the edge

John Beeden

John says: “I did the Atlantic in 53 days three years ago so I went looking for something more difficult to push me to the edge. I just didn’t realise that the Pacific was going to be so difficult. I have peered right over the edge a few times.”

John, who lost 25lb despite consuming 4,000 calories a day, had to be supported by one of his daughters as he stumbled out of his boat. It is estimated that he completed almost three million oar strokes. He adds: “There were times I didn’t think I could go on.

When you keep getting pushed back hundreds of miles that you have already rowed you have to dig deep.” The low point was on Christmas Day when, close to exhaustion, he admitted: “I might not make it.” Although he was only 54 miles from shore the wind and currents were making headway impossible.

John’s day job is organising events and exhibitions and he has lived near Toronto in Canada for the past decade. Seeking a new challenge he switched from running marathons to rowing in his 40s. After meeting two Atlantic rowers while on holiday he became fascinated by the challenges faced by long-distance sailors.

John began reading about their adventures and what drove them. Listing his motivations for attempting the crossing of the Pacific at a relatively advanced age he included “just to feel alive and in control of my own destiny” and “putting something worthwhile on my headstone”. John’s boat was designed by Phil Morrison and built in Cornwall.

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The intrepid rower being snapped in the middle of the Pacific Ocean

It is constructed from a very strong combination of foam, Kevlar and fibreglass. All the electric and navigation devices are solar powered and the Briton was able to keep in touch by email and text messages using a satellite phone. The route took John south of Hawaii, through the South Sea Islands by the Coral Sea and past the Great Barrier Reef.

His only protection from the elements was a cramped sleeping compartment. During the crossing John, who existed on about three hours sleep each day and survived by eating dehydrated food, was asked what he was missing most.

He replied: “Family first, then a bed that doesn’t throw you against the wall. Also showers, food that crunches and Sunday afternoons on the settee.” The toughest stretch was a 250-mile wide current near the Equator. To avoid being swept all the way to Peru, John had to row for days on end with just a few 20-minute naps.

John, who suffers from arthritis in his hands added: “I have had lots of small injuries such as scrapes, bangs and a few strains. But they all heal if you look after yourself. It is all part of being on a small boat. The duration is the toughest thing both mentally and physically.

“The only person who can move the boat closer to home is me so you just have to force yourself to do your 13 or 14 hours a day at the oars.” Yet there were also magical moments watching storm clouds building, being tracked by whales and dolphins and glimpsing a huge marlin pursue a tuna.

The original plan was to row unassisted but that was thwarted by his slow progress, forcing him to take on extra supplies from a boat off the island of Vanuatu. Arriving at Cairns marina John had to navigate a flotilla of vessels which sailed out to welcome him. He said: “I didn’t want to make a monkey of myself by crashing into a million-dollar boat.”

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John tucks into a ginger nut biscuit after his epic adventure

Anxiously following his crossing was his Canadian wife Cheryl, 52, who says: “John is an amazing guy. He will always fight to go the extra mile, even when he is having a bad day.

I’m just glad he is home and safe.” However she does not expect her husband to put his feet up for long, adding: “He says he is not going to get in another boat for a while but I’m sure in a couple of weeks he will be off on another adventure.”

There have been nine successful rows across the Pacific Ocean. However some of those crossings were completed in stages while others left from South America rather than North America. John Fairfax and Sylvia Cook crossed the Pacific in 1971, leaving San Francisco and arriving at Hayman Island in Australia.

They became the first people to cross the Pacific using only oars and Cook became the first woman to cross any ocean but they stopped along the way.

In 1983 another Briton, Peter Bird, set off on a solo rowing trip across the Pacific from San Francisco. He had to be rescued by the Royal Australian Navy 294 days later, coming within reach of the Great Barrier Reef.

He died attempting to row from Russia to North America in 1996. In 2001 British rower Jim Shekhdar became the first to row across the Pacific from South America to Australia solo and non-stop.

To long-distance rowing’s roll of honour can now be added the name of a self-confessed “scrawny old Yorkshireman” who has completed the incredible double of Atlantic and Pacific oceans.